Emergency shut-off valve

ABSTRACT

An emergency shut-off valve includes a valve body defining an inlet, an outlet, a valve port between the inlet and the outlet, and an aperture. A valve assembly is positioned partially within the valve body and extends through the aperture. An actuator assembly is operatively coupled to the valve assembly to move the valve assembly between an open position and a closed position and includes a poppet and a rotatable shaft. The poppet is disposed within the valve body and is moveable between an open position that allows the flow of fluid through the valve body and a closed position that prevents the flow of fluid through the valve body. The shaft is coupled to the poppet and has a retaining member positioned within a slot in an arm of the poppet to prevent the poppet from being removed from the shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201410156199.7, entitled “Emergency Shut-Off Valve” and filed on Apr.14, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to emergency shut-off valves and, morespecifically, to emergency shut-off valves with improved gland sealingand ease of assembly and maintenance.

BACKGROUND

Gas distribution systems, in particular natural gas distributionsystems, typically transport gas from a producer to a consumer along aseries of pipes and through a series of valves. Each gas distributionsystem may include one or more regulator valves that control thepressure of the gas within the distribution system. Normally, the gas istransmitted at a high pressure through the system. However, the pressureof the gas must be reduced prior to final distribution to the consumers.This pressure reduction is typically accomplished at pressure reducingstations within local networks.

Typically, these pressure reducing stations include some sort of safetydevice to shut off the flow of gas. Most commonly, emergency shut-offvalves are used for this purpose. The emergency shut-off valve isgenerally disposed upstream of the pressure regulating valve so that theemergency shut-off valve may prevent gas from reaching the pressureregulating valve in the event of a problem. The emergency shut-off valvecan be operated manually, or can monitor gas pressure downstream of thepressure regulating valve, to close the valve and cut off the flow ofgas to the pressure regulating valve to prevent an uncontrolled leak ofgas, such as due to a pressure regulating valve failure or otherproblem.

Typically, emergency shut-off valves have a poppet or other type ofvalve plug that is mounted on a rotatable shaft to move the poppetbetween an open position, which allows the flow of fluid through thevalve, and a closed position, which prevents the flow of fluid throughthe valve. However, in typical emergency shut-off valves, once assembledthere is nothing preventing the poppet from sliding off of the shaftduring maintenance. Therefore, if the shaft is moved during amaintenance procedure, there is the possibility that the poppet can dropinto the valve, or even drop further down into the gas distributionsystem, which can require the removal of the emergency shut-off valveand cause other problems.

In addition, during assembly and maintenance of an emergency shut-offvalve, one end of a torsion spring, which is used to bias the poppetinto the closed position, must be aligned with and engage the gland tosecure the end of the torsion spring. In typical designs, aligning theend of the torsion spring and ensuring engagement can be difficult wheninserting the gland into the housing of the valve.

Finally, most typical emergency shut-off valves use a gasket between anouter surface of the gland and an inner surface of the valve housing toprevent leakage between the gland and housing. However, these gasketsare prone to leakage and problems can be encountered in installing thesegaskets, especially if the gaskets need to be installed over threads,which can damage the gasket.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one exemplary aspect of the present invention, anemergency shut-off valve includes a valve body defining an inlet, anoutlet, a valve port between the inlet and the outlet, and an aperture.A valve assembly is positioned partially within the valve body andextends through the aperture. An actuator assembly is operativelycoupled to the valve assembly to move the valve assembly between an openposition and a closed position and includes a poppet and a rotatableshaft. The poppet is disposed within the valve body and is moveablebetween an open position that allows the flow of fluid through the valvebody and a closed position that prevents the flow of fluid through thevalve body. The shaft is coupled to the poppet and has a retainingmember positioned within a slot in an arm of the poppet to prevent thepoppet from being removed from the shaft.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, agland for an emergency shut-off valve includes a generally cylindricalbody, a bore formed through the body and sized to receive a rotatableshaft, and a slot formed in a first end of the body. The slot isconfigured to receive an end of a torsion spring.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, ashaft for an emergency shut-off valve includes a first end, a firstpolygonal intermediate portion having a hole formed therein, and aretaining member positioned within the hole. The first intermediateportion configured to engage a poppet of the emergency shut-off valveand the retaining member preventing the poppet from being removed fromthe shaft.

In further accordance with any one or more of the foregoing exemplaryaspects of the present invention, an emergency shut-off valve, a glandfor an emergency shut-off valve, and/or a shaft for an emergencyshut-off valve may further include, in any combination, any one or moreof the following preferred forms.

In one preferred form, the shaft comprises a polygonal intermediateportion, the retaining member disposed in the intermediate portion ofthe shaft, and the poppet comprises a polygonal aperture configured toreceive and engage the intermediate portion of the shaft.

In another preferred form, the retaining member comprises at least oneof a spring pin, a screw, a pin, or a clip.

In another preferred form, the emergency shut-off further comprises agland including a generally cylindrical body, a bore formed through thebody and sized to receive the shaft, and a slot formed in a first end ofthe body, the slot configured to receive an end of a torsion spring.

In another preferred form, the emergency shut-off valve furthercomprises an O-ring positioned within a recess surrounding the apertureat an outer surface of the valve body, and a flange extending from anouter surface of the gland. The flange engages the O-ring to provide aseal between the gland and the valve body.

In another preferred form, the torsion spring includes a cylindricalportion sized to receive the shaft, a first end engaging the poppet, anda second end engaging a gland, to bias the poppet into the closedposition.

In another preferred form, an outer surface of a second end of the glanddefines at least one arcuate surface and at least one planar surface,the at least one arcuate surface and the at least one planar surfaceconfigured to align and mate with a recess formed in a retainer securedto the valve body.

In another preferred form, the shaft further comprises a second endconfigured to engage an actuator of the emergency shut-off valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an example emergency shut-offvalve;

FIG. 2 is a bottom partial cross-sectional view of the example emergencyshut-off valve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial top view of the example emergency shut-offvalve of FIG. 2 with a portion of the body of the valve removed;

FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an example gland for an emergencyshut-off valve;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an end of the example gland ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example retainer for an emergencyshut-off valve;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the shaft, gland, andtorsion spring of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the shaft, poppet, and springpin of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the shaft of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The example emergency shut-off valve described herein offers betterlifecycle, easier assembly and maintenance, and improved gland sealingover typical emergency shut-off valves. Improved gland sealing can beachieved by the use of an O-ring positioned in a chamfer at the end ofthe valve body that engages a flange on the gland, rather thanpositioning a gasket between an outer surface of the gland and an innersurface of an aperture in the valve body. In addition, assembly andmaintenance can be made easier by providing a slot in an end of thegland to receive the end of the torsion spring, rather than a hole, tosimplify assembly of the valve. Furthermore, a spring pin can be placedon the shaft to prevent the poppet from dropping into the valve body orfalling downstream of the valve body during maintenance, which canrequire the valve to be taken out of the piping system and/or causeadditional problems.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example emergency shut-off valve 10generally includes a valve body 100, a valve assembly 200, and anactuator assembly 400. Valve body 100 includes a first portion 105 and asecond portion 120 secured to first portion 105 with threaded members135. An O-ring 165 can be positioned between first portion 105 andsecond portion 120 to prevent leakage from valve body 100. First portion105 has a threaded aperture 110 that defines an inlet 115, secondportion 120 has a threaded aperture 125 that defines an outlet 130, anda valve port 140 is located between the inlet 115 and the outlet 130. Inthe example shown, an insert 150 is positioned within first portion 105of valve body 100 and includes a bore 155 that defines the valve port140. A seal 160 is secured to an end of insert 150 to provide a seatingsurface 145 to engage a sealing surface 215 of a poppet 205 of the valveassembly 200, as described in more detail below. An aperture 170 canalso be formed through a sidewall of first portion 105 to receive valveassembly 200 and a chamfer 175 (FIGS. 4A and 4B), or other channel orrecess, can be formed at an end of aperture 170 to receive an O-ring 330to provide a seal between first portion 105 of valve body 100 and agland 280 of valve assembly 200.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4B, valve assembly 200 generally includes poppet205, shaft 230, gland 280, torsion spring 340, and retainer 360. Poppet205 includes valve plug 210 that defines sealing surface 215, whichengages seating surface 145 of valve port 140 when valve 10 is in aclosed position. A threaded member 217 extends through a hole formed invalve plug 210 and through a hole in arm 220 to connect poppet 205 toarm 220 with nuts 218. Arm 220 has a polygonal aperture 222, to receivea portion of shaft 230, and a slot 224 intersecting aperture 222, toprovide access to the portion of shaft 230 and to receive a first end350 of torsion spring 340. In the example shown, aperture 222 is squareand receives a square portion of shaft 230 such that poppet 205 rotateswith shaft 230.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 8-11, shaft 230 has a generallycylindrical first end 235, a polygonal first intermediate portion 240configured to receive and engage arm 220 of poppet 205 through aperture222, a generally cylindrical second intermediate portion 245 configuredto receive torsion spring 340 and gland 280, and a polygonal second end250 configured to engage a portion of actuator assembly 400. In theexample shown, first intermediate portion 240 of shaft 230 is square andis received in aperture 222 of poppet 205 to operatively couple poppet205 to shaft 230 such that poppet 205 rotates about shaft 230 as shaft230 is rotated. A hole 255 is formed in first intermediate portion 240of shaft 230 and is configured to receive a retaining member 260, suchas a spring pin, screw, pin, clip, or other retaining device, whichextends into slot 224 in arm 220 and prevents poppet 205 from slidingoff shaft 230 during assembly, operation, or maintenance of emergencyshut-off valve 10. Second intermediate portion 245 of shaft 230 isinserted through and rotatable within torsion spring 340 and gland 280and, as can best be seen in FIG. 4A, a follower 265 and packing 270 canbe positioned between shaft 230 and gland 280 to allow rotation of andprevent leakage between shaft 230 and gland 280. Spring 275 can also bepositioned within gland 280 and around shaft 230 to compress packing270.

Referring to FIGS. 3-6, gland 280 has a generally cylindrical body 285sized to fit within aperture 170 in valve body 100 and a bore 290through body 285, sized to receive second intermediate portion 245 ofshaft 230. One or more cavities 295 (FIG. 4A) can also be formed withinbody 285 to accommodate follower 265, packing 270, and/or spring 275 asrequired. First end 300 of body 285 can have a slightly reduced diameterand defines one or more slots 305, which are configured to receive andsecure a second end 355 of torsion spring 340. Providing slots 305 inthe first end 300 of gland 280 simplifies the assembly and maintenanceof valve 10 as gland 280 can be easily aligned with second end 355 oftorsion spring 340. A flange 310 extends radially from an outer surfaceof body 285 proximate the second end 315 of body 285 and is configuredto engage O-ring 330 and provide a seal between first portion 105 ofvalve body 100 and gland 280. Second end 315 of gland 280 has twoarcuate outer surfaces 320 and two planar outer surfaces 325, which areconfigured to mate with surfaces 385, 390 of recess 380 in retainer 360.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, and 8, torsion spring 340 has a generallycylindrical portion 345 that is positioned over shaft 230. A second end355 of torsion spring 340 extends from one end of cylindrical portion345 and is positioned in a slot 305 in gland 280, which keeps second end355 stationary as shaft 230 rotates and poppet 205 moves. A first end350 of torsion spring 340 extends from the opposite end of cylindricalportion 345 and is positioned within slot 224 in arm 220 of poppet 205to bias poppet 205 into a closed position where sealing surface 215 ofpoppet 205 engages seating surface 145 of valve port 140. Alternatively,first end 350 of torsion spring 340 could engage arm 220 of poppet 205in other manners, such as resting in a groove, inserted into a hole,etc., as long as torsion spring 340 biases poppet 205 into a closedposition. As shaft 230 is rotated and poppet 205 is moved from theclosed position and into an open position, second end 355 of torsionspring 340 remains stationary in slot 305 of gland 280 and first end 350of torsion spring 340 will move with poppet 205, thereby loading torsionspring 340.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4B and 7, retainer 360 has a generally planar body365 that has an aperture 370 sized to receive shaft 230 and a pluralityof holes 375 sized and positioned to receive threaded members 395 tosecure retainer 360 to first portion 105 of valve body 100. On onesurface of retainer 360 there is a recess 380 having two arcuatesurfaces 385 and two planar surfaces 390, which correspond to thearcuate and planar surfaces 320, 325 of second end 315 of gland 280.Alternatively, recess 380 of retainer 360 and second end 315 of gland280 could be generally cylindrical with a single planar surface, couldbe polygonal, or could be any other geometry desired to provide betterpositioning of gland 280 and retainer 360.

An actuator is operatively coupled to second end 250 of shaft 230 torotate shaft 230 and move poppet 205 between open and closed positions.Actuators that can be to trigger and reset emergency shut-off valves arewell known to those skilled in the art. For example, the actuator couldbe a manual actuator, such as the manual actuator on the Fisher® N550Emergency Shut-Off Valve, it could be an air-close actuator, such as theFisher® P327D, or it could be an air open-close actuator, such as theFisher® P539A. In the example shown in FIG. 2, actuator assembly 400 isa manual actuator and generally includes a handle assembly 410 and alatch assembly 440.

Handle assembly 410 includes a handle 415 mounted on second end 250 ofshaft 230 and a mandrel 420 that is positioned at the distal end ofsecond end 250 of shaft 230. Handle 415 and mandrel 420 are secured toshaft 230 by a threaded member, such as bolt 425. Torsion spring 430 ispositioned around mandrel 420 and has one end secured to handle 415 anda second end that engages latch assembly 440. Torsion spring 430 biaseshandle 415 into a closed position, where poppet 205 is also in a closedposition.

Latch assembly 440 includes a latch block 445 that is secured to valvebody 100. Plunger 450 is moveably disposed within latch block 445 suchthat plunger 450 is moveable longitudinally within latch block 445 and aportion of plunger 450 protrudes from and end of latch block 445 to aposition where an end of plunger 450 engages handle 415 when handle 415is in an open position. A resilient member, such as a spring 455, ispositioned within latch block 445 and adjacent plunger 450 to biasplunger 450 away from latch block 445. Cable 460 is secured to plunger450 and extends through an opening in latch block 445 so that cable 460is accessible to a user.

In operation, torsion springs 430, 340 bias handle 415 and poppet 205into a closed position, thereby seating sealing surface 215 of poppet205 against seating surface 145 of valve port 140 and preventing theflow of fluid through emergency shut-off valve 10. To reset emergencyshut-off valve 10, handle 415 is rotated to an open position, therebyloading torsion spring 430, until a latching portion of handle 415engages plunger 450 and holds handle 415 in the open position. Rotatinghandle 415 into the open position also rotates shaft 230, which movespoppet 205 into an open position and loads torsion spring 340. Plunger450 holds handle 415 in the open position until emergency shut-off valve10 is triggered. To trigger emergency shut-off valve 10, cable 460 ispulled, which pulls plunger 450 into latch block 445 against the forceof spring 455. As plunger is pulled into latch block 445 it disengagesfrom handle 415 and torsion spring 430 rotates handle 415 back to theclosed position. Rotating handle 415 into the closed position alsorotates shaft 230, which moves poppet into the closed position andclosing emergency shut-off valve 10.

While various embodiments have been described above, this disclosure isnot intended to be limited thereto. Variations can be made to thedisclosed embodiments that are still within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency shut-off valve, comprising: a valvebody defining an inlet, an outlet, a valve port between the inlet andthe outlet, and an aperture; a valve assembly positioned partiallywithin the valve body and extending through the aperture; and anactuator assembly operatively coupled to the valve assembly to move thevalve assembly between an open position and a closed position; whereinthe valve assembly comprises: a poppet disposed within the valve bodyand moveable between an open position that allows the flow of fluidthrough the valve body and a closed position that prevents the flow offluid through the valve body, the poppet comprising an arm having a slotformed therethrough; and a rotatable shaft coupled to the poppet, theshaft comprising a retaining member positioned within the slot of thepoppet to prevent the poppet from being removed from the shaft.
 2. Theemergency shut-off valve of claim 1, wherein: the shaft comprises apolygonal intermediate portion, the retaining member disposed in theintermediate portion of the shaft; and the poppet comprises a polygonalaperture configured to receive and engage the intermediate portion ofthe shaft.
 3. The emergency shut-off valve of claim 1, wherein theretaining member comprises at least one of a spring pin, a screw, a pin,or a clip.
 4. The emergency shut-off valve of claim 1, furthercomprising a gland including a generally cylindrical body, a bore formedthrough the body and sized to receive the shaft, and a slot formed in afirst end of the body, the slot configured to receive an end of atorsion spring.
 5. The emergency shut-off valve of claim 4, furthercomprising: an O-ring positioned within a recess surrounding theaperture at an outer surface of the valve body; and a flange extendingfrom an outer surface of the gland; wherein the flange engages theO-ring to provide a seal between the gland and the valve body.
 6. Theemergency shut-off valve of claim 4, wherein the torsion spring includesa cylindrical portion sized to receive the shaft, a first end engagingthe poppet, and a second end engaging a gland, to bias the poppet intothe closed position.
 7. The emergency shut-off valve of claim 4, whereinan outer surface of a second end of the gland defines at least onearcuate surface and at least one planar surface, the at least onearcuate surface and the at least one planar surface configured to alignand mate with a recess formed in a retainer secured to the valve body.8. A gland for an emergency shut-off valve, the gland comprising: agenerally cylindrical body; a bore formed through the body and sized toreceive a rotatable shaft; and a slot formed in a first end of the body,the slot configured to receive an end of a torsion spring.
 9. The glandof claim 8, further comprising a flange extending from an outer surfaceof the body, the flange configured to engage an O-ring positioned withina recess in a valve body of the emergency shut-off valve to provide aseal between the gland and the valve body.
 10. The gland of claim 8,wherein the torsion spring includes a cylindrical portion sized toreceive a rotatable shaft, a first end engaging a poppet of theemergency shut-off valve, and a second end engaging a gland, to bias thepoppet into a closed position.
 11. The gland of claim 8, wherein anouter surface of a second end of the gland defines at least one arcuatesurface and at least one planar surface, the at least one arcuatesurface and the at least one planar surface configured to align and matewith a recess formed in a retainer secured to a valve body of theemergency shut-off valve.
 12. A shaft for an emergency shut-off valve,the shaft comprising: a first end; a first polygonal intermediateportion, the first intermediate portion configured to engage a poppet ofthe emergency shut-off valve and including a hole formed therein; and aretaining member positioned within the hole, the retaining memberpreventing the poppet from being removed from the shaft.
 13. The shaftof claim 12, wherein the retaining member comprises at least one of aspring pin, a screw, and a pin, clip.
 14. The shaft of claim 12, whereinthe shaft further comprises a second end configured to engage anactuator of the emergency shut-off valve.
 15. The shaft of claim 12,wherein the shaft further comprises a second cylindrical intermediateportion, the second intermediate portion configured to engage a torsionspring and a gland of the emergency shut-off valve.